By the numbers: Solidifying the sacks

John Holler

10/11/2014

The Vikings know they have to get their rush lanes right and Detroit could make them right. Plus, get more than three dozen comparative stats between the Vikings and Lions.

As the Vikings take the field Sunday against the Detroit Lions, one of the talking points will be Detroit’s top-ranked defense. But when all is said and done, the Vikings will be looking to make their own statement on defense.

While the Lions have done a lot of things right to start the 2014 season, one area in which they’ve struggled has been protecting Matthew Stafford. Through five games, Detroit has allowed 17 sacks. Only Jacksonville has a worse sack per pass play percentage. With Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush both expected to miss Sunday’s game, two of Stafford’s primary targets will be missing and the Vikings will be looking to dial up the pressure on him.

Through five games, the Vikings have registered 10 sacks, but the potential for several more have been missed. Defensive lineman Corey Wootton believes that the Vikings have to tweak their pass rush a bit in order to make the most of the talent they have because a lot of times sacks are created by team play, not necessarily individual effort.

“The biggest thing is if we can rush together as a team instead of individuals, that’s a big thing that we’ve been trying to do,” Wootton said. “When you rush together as one, you’re able to get sacks as a team. One guy may flush him to another guy and if he’s where he’s supposed to be, that’s his sack.”

Head coach Mike Zimmer earned his coaching stripes by preaching a team concept in pass rushing – staying true to an assignment and not freelancing and getting out of position. Over the last couple of weeks, the D-line has been getting an earful from Zimmer about playing assignment-sound.

“We’ve heard about it quite a bit,” Wootton said. “We’re leaving plays out there. On the defensive line, we’ve got a lot of talented guys. The biggest thing is that you have to rush together as a unit to be successful. You look at the teams that lead the league in sacks every year and you see them feed off each other and they’re right where they need to be. A lot of times, you may not win on your rush, but if you’re where you’re supposed to be and you keep going, you might get a sack you might not have had if you weren’t in that position.”

If the Vikings are to protect their home turf, one of the keys will be not only pressuring Stafford, but knocking him down and sacking him. The Lions have been vulnerable to sacks and, while their defense is getting most of the headlines, the Vikings defense has the opportunity to make its own statement and take the fight to the shorthanded Lions offense.

VIKINGS-LIONS BY THE NUMBERS

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The Vikings have the 23rd-ranked offense in the NFL (10th rushing, 27th passing) and the 15th-ranked defense (19th rushing, 11th passing).

Detroit is ranked in the top seven in 10 defense categories – total defense (1), yards allowed per play (2), rushing yards (4), rushing average per play (4), passing yards (5), passing average per play (6), sacks per pass play (7), first downs allowed (1), third-down efficiency (4) and points allowed (2).

Stafford is seventh in third-down passer rating at 107.9. No Vikings QB has enough third-down pass attempts to qualify.

Matt Asiata is 23rd in rushing yards with 231 and McKinnon is 39th with 166 yards. Reggie Bush leads Detroit with 161 yards, which ranks 41st.

Tate is tied for 10th in receptions with 31. Despite missing almost all of the last two games, Megatron is still tied for 36th with 22 receptions. Jennings leads the Vikings with 17 receptions, which ties him for 64th.

Tate is fifth in receiving yards with 451. Johnson is still 18th in yardage with 351. Jennings leads the Vikings with 235 yards, with ranks him 53rd.

Asiata is tied for ninth in scoring among non-kickers with 24 points (four touchdowns). No Lion has scored more than two touchdowns.

Blair Walsh is 10th in scoring with 39 points. The Lions will be playing their third kicker in six games today.

Walsh is tied for fourth in touchbacks with 21.

Tate is 10th in the league in total yards from scrimmage with 455 yards (451 receiving, 4 rushing). Asiata is tied for 38th with 342 yards (231 rushing, 111 receiving).

Jeff Locke is 16th in punting average at 45.6 yards. Detroit’s Sam Martin is third with an average of 49.2 yards.

Martin is fourth in net punting average at 42.9 yards. Locke is 15th with a 39.8-yard net average.